National Service News
www.nationalservice.org
For citizens in service through Learn & Serve America, AmeriCorps, and the
National Senior Service Corps.
Published every other Monday on the worldwide-web site of the Corporation for
National Service.
For the latest information and updates, visit http://www.nationalservice.org
(Issue #54, May 18, 1998)
CONGRATULATIONS! LEARN AND SERVE STUDENTS WIN PSA AWARD Learn and
Serve America students from River Bluff Middle School in Stoughten,
Wisconsin, won seven awards in the Student
Public Service Competition for developing ten public service announcements
(PSAs) about teen-age pregnancy.
Each of the 30 and 60 second spots targets a specific audience. Before
preparing the PSAs, the students met with
social service agencies, the local NBC affiliate, and an advertising agency
and interviewed classmates on their views on teen pregnancy. The students
are in teacher Mark Mueller's Language Arts class. River Bluffs
participates in the
2x4x8: Fostering Resiliency through Service Learning program. The PSA
competition was sponsored by the Kaiser
Family Foundation, NBC, the Ad Council and the National Campaign to Prevent
Teen Pregnancy.
NATIONAL SERVICE FELLOWSHIPS: June 1, 1998 is the deadline for applying for
the National
Service Fellows program. Fellows design and implement projects on issues of
importance to national service during
a ten month cycle from September 1998 through June 1999. About 14
Fellowships are expected to be approved.
Check the Corporation website (www.nationalservice.org) for the guidelines or
call the Fellowship Applicants Information Line at (202) 606-5000, ext. 571.
WHEELS TO WORK: ON THE ROAD OFF WELFARE
AmeriCorps*VISTA has given a new meaning to mobile-izing resources in Texas.
Member Kate Hephner serves
with Family Pathfinders, a statewide program linking religious and civic
organizations with families moving from
welfare to the work force. In Tarrant County (Ft. Worth), Kate developed a
partnership with the Wheels to Work program, which provides cars to families
who lack the reliable transportation they need to get to work. The
program kicked off when the first five families received their cars in Fort
Worth on April 18, 1998. Businesses
handled the donation and restoration of the cars, including free tune-ups.
That's just the beginning. Because of the AmeriCorps*VISTA's initiative, a
growing number of cars are now on hand to provide those in the jobs program
who demonstrate the greatest need. Twenty-three families who participate in
the Pathfinders program are eligible
so far.
FROM THE FRONT:
"I can state first-hand that AmeriCorps members are worth every penny spent.
Their work is not for glory, but
for civic pride and building a better community." M. Hope Fish is President
of the Land Trust of Meriden, CT, where AmeriCorps members created a nature
trail and cleared litter from miles of roadsides.
"This has been a real eye-opener for me. It will help me to be a better
nurse and a more well-rounded person." Lynda Oakley is a nursing student at
Henderson, KY, Community College, where her Learn and Serve America
experience included providing 9th graders with substance abuse prevention
information.
"It's fun when all of a sudden they see the light. Then you know you're
doing a good job." RSVP volunteer
Marilyn Remele serves as a reading tutor at Alaska's Highland Mountain
Correctional Center.
SERVICE HERO: SENIOR COMPANION HARRY TOLLIVER
For the first time ever, Catholic Charities USA has named a National
Volunteer of the Year. On May 2, Senior Companion Harry Tolliver of
Cincinnati, OH was honored at CC USA's Atlanta meeting. Mr. Tolliver
volunteers
as a Senior Companion at Catholic Social Services of Southwestern Ohio. He
does everything from shopping and housekeeping to taking people to the doctor
and collecting discarded furniture for people in need. On weekends, he
distributes donated food throughout the community. Cincinnati SCP Director
Dave Mikkelson says "Harry's
concern for others and love of people permeates his entire life. He has a
tremendous impact within his community.
If you took him out of the picture tomorrow, the quality of life for a large
number of people would be affected."
RESOURCE TIP: AMERICA READS LISTSERV: The new America Reads listserv is for
use by
national service program directors involved in tutoring and reading programs
for K-3 schoolchildren, and for
education professionals and technical assistance providers. To subscribe,
send an e-mail to: majordomo@etr.org
and in the message, type only: subscribeamericareads.
WHAT WORKS: INDY CORPS' PEACE LEARNING CENTER
The Project: "Indy Corps" AmeriCorps members operate the Peace Learning
Center, an innovative approach to
conflict resolution in the Indianapolis, IN, Public Schools. The program,
which is mandatory for all fourth graders,
takes students and their teachers out of the classroom to a renovated old
mansion in a local park. Students
participate in "a day long adventure in peacemaking", including skits by
actors, a guided tour of the park's
woodlands, and instruction in non-violent conflict resolution.
The Results: An understanding of peaceful alternatives to violent
confrontation, including specific tools and
techniques, will have been gained by over 4,000 children, or 85% of all
Indianapolis fourth graders. AmeriCorps members lead the children in role
playing to act out and resolve their own conflicts, and teach them peaceful
conflict resolution techniques. Evaluation of 800 participating children
indicates 80% remember the "rules for fighting (non-violently) fair one month
after their visit to the Center, while over 50% retain the "I-message" verbal
approach to
conflict situations - both exceeding program goals.
Why It Works: The Marion County Family Advocacy Center's "Indy Corps"
AmeriCorps program has been
involved in domestic violence issues for several years and the Peace Center
is a pro-active extension of what the AmeriCorps program is already doing.
The Public Schools provide transportation and meals for the children and
the park system maintains the facility where the Peace Learning Center
operates. "I Message" precepts are being incorporated into the Indianapolis
standardized student tests.
Lessons: School violence is a problem much in the news. While there is no
magic cure, Indianapolis has made a
strong beginning. Next year, the program will expand to fifth grade, with
the students who are now involved in
fourth grade helping the next crop of fourth graders learn the Peace
message. Small groups of middle school
students are also involved as both students and mentors for the younger
students. The basic message that "peace is
cool" is increasingly getting out and becoming part of the mindset of
Indianapolis children. Contact: AmeriCorps
Director Charles Wiles (317) 327-7144
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